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SAVANNAH STATE SHALL BE A WIN-WIN DEVELOPMENT: GOV. ZULUM SHOULD ALLOW THE PROCESS TO RUN ITS COURSE

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SAVANNAH STATE SHALL BE A WIN-WIN DEVELOPMENT: GOV. ZULUM SHOULD ALLOW THE PROCESS TO RUN ITS COURSE

By: A.G.Abubakar

As your Excellency may have been aware, the drums of state creation are being beaten left, right and centre. Expectedly, the perennial agitators once more are in the arena. The current number is about 31 enclaves, with the major ones being Katagum (Bauchi), Ghari (Kano), New Kaduna (Kaduna), Ogoja (Cross Rivers), Oke-Ogun (Oyo), Kainji (Niger), Adada ((Enugu), Amana, (Adamawa), Okura, Okun (Kogi), Orlu (Imo), Warri (Delta), Apa (Benue) and many more have been dusting their memorandum for resubmission.

One hopes the Movements are not overlooking the provisions of Section 8 of the Constitution that deals with the creation of new state (s) in Nigeria. In any case, it is the people’s right to live out their idiosyncrasies as deem fit so long as they are within the Constitutional bounds. For the people of Southern Borno, the current initiative towards having a Savannah State would be the sixth in the series. The first serious requests were made in 1989, 1991, 2014, 2021 and now in the year 2025. Others like Ogoja and Katagum have longer history.

The yearning for a new state ordinarily should be a welcome development for both mother and baby – the new and the old entities. Given the primordial considerations that govern politics and the winner-takes- all syndrome, people tend to feel that their interests can be better catered for through a polity in which they have a voice. This may be misplaced or even an anathema to democratic tenets, but it is the reality of Nigeria politics, all the same.

In Nigeria, it would seem that, only through state creation would development be devolved to the grassroots. Imagine, Your Excellency, if such towns like Damaturu, Gombe, Jimeta-Yola, Jalingo, and Bauchi were still local government headquarters under either the North East state that was created in 1967. Or their plights and pace of development under defunct Borno, Gongola, and Bauchi. Consider the universities, the polytechnics, the specialist hospitals, the airports, and the urban transformations that come with being a state in Nigeria. These seems to be the attraction. So when people agitate for Savannah State, it doesn’t mean they love current Borno less, but they appreciate development more. Not many might appreciate this subtle nuances, but that’s the bottom line.

Some state governments understood the raison d’tre of the demand for the curving out of additional states from the existing ones. Bauchi government accorded the Katagum State movement the necessary support. Ogun State did the same thing and more, by “allowing” the Awujale of Ijebu land to take his request for Ijebu State to Aso Rock in Abuja. Even Kano State never stood in the way of Tiga or Gari state movements .This brotherly support seems to be lacking on the part of Borno power brokers. The last outing by the Savannah State Movement was almost marred by the subterranean influence of the government. For, it will beat imagination for a deputy speaker of Borno State Assembly, an expected beneficiary of the new state ,to rise up and voice the fact that Borno State was not interested in having a new state. People who know the working of government and politics understand the gentleman was acting on a script, based on misplaced fears.

A new state in Borno is going to be a win-win development. The stock shall be left with 19 LGAs. A number far higher than Abia 17, Bayelsa 8, Cross Rivers 18, Ebonyi 13, Edo 18, Ekiti 16, Enugu 17, Gombe 11, Kwara 16, Nasarawa 13, Ondo 18, Plateau 17, Taraba 16, Yobe 17, and Zamfara 14. In terms of economic dispositions, the border economies with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon present huge opportunities for trade and commerce. The economic potential of the Lack Chad and its basin are equally enormous. Furthermore, should the Southern part of Borno state move away, the residual manpower left behind would be more than that of Zamfara, Kebbi, and even Bayelsa at the point of creation in 1991, including population size which is estimated to 3.5 million. Maiduguri, the state capital, has an unsuitable stock of physical infrastructure that can drive development in the foreseeable future.

The Savannah counterpart shall be a state comprised of 9 LGAs with a population that is above two (2) million. It’s going to be a state in the league of Bayelsa with 8 LGAs and slightly less than Gombe and Ebonyi with 11 and 13 Councils respectively. It would be statesmanly for His Excellency to lend support to the people’s legitimate aspiration, for whatever its worth. In the same vein, an unambivalent posture by the state would free the traditional rulers in Southern Borno from the tight corner they normally found themselves anytime there is a state creation exercises on the horizon. They are usually caught between their subjects, who were largely pro state crreation and the state government’s tacit disapproval. A disposition that is unnecessary given the fact that such exercises are guided by Constitutional provisions.

As for the Savannah state, if it all happens, you would have gotten rid of a “restive” segment of your polity for good. Before too long, the teething problems of the Savannah state shall come to the fore unless the pioneer leadership happens to be a visionary one. And also a just one, in the light of the region’s diversity. But that’s going to be their cup of tea, Your Excellency, not yours.

In the light of the foregoing, let the Borno state government lend its support to the Savannah State Movement (SSM). After all, the euphoria so generated could just turn out to be diversionary move by the National Assembly away from the crushing economic hardships Nigerians are currently facing.

The state Deputy Governor, His Excellency Umar U. Kadafur, Senator representing Borno South, House of Representatives members Hons. Mukhtari Betara, Midala Balami Usman, and Jaha, along with their counterparts in the State Assembly, are kindly called upon to heed the yearnings of the people to have their memorandum on state creation pushed. They should forge a bi-partisan front to engage with the government to allow the region’s aspiration to play out. Besides, there is a popular adage that says that “the only bad request is the one that is never made.” Or rather “the only bad desire is the one that is never expressed” Let the request be and be supported too.

SAVANNAH STATE SHALL BE A WIN-WIN DEVELOPMENT: GOV. ZULUM SHOULD ALLOW THE PROCESS TO RUN ITS COURSE

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Violent clash in Sabon-Titi area of Tunga Minna leaves one dead, several arrested

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Violent clash in Sabon-Titi area of Tunga Minna leaves one dead, several arrested

By: Zagazola Makama

A violent confrontation among rival youths in Sabon-Titi area of Tunga, Minna, Niger State, resulted in the death of one person and the arrest of several others, security sources confirmed on Saturday.

According to sources, on Friday at about 8:00 p.m., a group of youths armed with dangerous weapons were sighted causing havoc along David Mark Road. Security operatives quickly intervened and dispersed the group.

However, at about 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, the same group engaged in a violent clash among themselves using matchets and daggers. Twelve suspects, including Ibrahim Musa, Abbah Hussaini, Babangida Gambo, and Abubakar Bala, were arrested, by the police and their weapons recovered.

Later at about 8:30 a.m., Bello Mohammed of Farm Centre, Tunga Minna, was found lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to General Hospital Minna but was confirmed dead on arrival.

Sources said that preliminary investigations indicate that the deceased was among the suspected thugs terrorizing residents in the area.

Violent clash in Sabon-Titi area of Tunga Minna leaves one dead, several arrested

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Young fulani man killed, six cows poisoned in separate farmland incidents in Plateau state

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Young fulani man killed, six cows poisoned in separate farmland incidents in Plateau state

By: Zagazola Makama

A 25-year-old Fulani man, Yakubu Salisu of Tenti village, Bokkos Local Government Area, was killed in a violent attack, while six cows were poisoned in a separate incident in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State on Saturday, authorities confirmed.

According to sources , Salisu was stabbed at the back by yet-to-be-identified assailants suspected to be locals of Bokkos. He died instantly at the scene.

Before the attack, a farmer, Josiah Joshua, 28, said he reportedly confronted six herders rearing cows on his farm. According to him, herders allegedly refused to remove the animals and attacked Joshua, resulting in injuries.

In retaliation, Joshua mobilized his friends to attack Yakubu Salisu, stabbing him multiple times on his before and killing him instantly.

Local leaders told Zagazola that the claims by some parties suggesting the Fulani victims “invaded farmlands” are false and appear to be an attempt to justify the attacks. Investigations indicate both incidents were unprovoked and targeted.

The police, however stormed the scene, photographed the corps and later released to relatives for burial according to Islamic rites, as the family declined an autopsy. The Authorities said they have commenced investigation, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, in Riyom LGA, six cows were poisoned in Kwi village without any apparent provocation.

Authorities have commenced investigations into both incidents, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.

Security officials warned residents to remain vigilant and urged communities to avoid taking the law into their own hands.

These incidents illustrate the rising tensions in Plateau State, drawing attention to the need for swift intervention to prevent escalation of communal violence over farmland disputes.

Young fulani man killed, six cows poisoned in separate farmland incidents in Plateau state

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Silent Changes, Big Impact: Adeola Ajayi’s Transformation of the DSS

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Silent Changes, Big Impact: Adeola Ajayi’s Transformation of the DSS

By: Sunday Oladapo

Leadership in the security sector often reveals itself not through grand speeches or public displays of authority, but through quiet, deliberate decisions that gradually shift systems, culture, and outcomes. Adeola Ajayi’s stewardship of the Department of State Services (DSS) exemplifies this subtle but powerful form of leadership. Though he rarely seeks the spotlight, the changes unfolding under his watch are reshaping the DSS in ways that many insiders describe as the most meaningful transformation the agency has witnessed in years.

From the moment Ajayi assumed office, it was clear he was bringing a different kind of energy—one rooted in discipline, modernization, and strategic silence. Instead of sweeping pronouncements, he focused on strengthening the agency’s foundation: its people, processes, and purpose. And this approach, though understated, is now yielding visible dividends.

Reinvigorating Professionalism and Intelligence Capacity

One of Ajayi’s most significant achievements is the recalibration of the DSS’s intelligence framework. Recognizing that modern threats—from terrorism to cybercrime—require an intelligence service that is both proactive and technologically sophisticated, he initiated targeted reforms to upgrade analytical tools, digital surveillance capacity, and field operations coordination.

Training programs have also been revitalized. Officers are now exposed to global best practices in intelligence gathering, behavioral analysis, cybersecurity, and inter-agency communication. The goal is simple but transformative: build a DSS that can prevent threats before they materialize, rather than merely responding after damage has been done.

Ajayi’s emphasis on data-driven intelligence has contributed to more efficient threat assessment, improved crisis response, and a more agile internal structure that encourages innovation instead of outdated, rigid protocols.

Strengthening Inter-Agency Collaboration

A common weakness in Nigeria’s security architecture has been fragmentation—agencies working in silos, often competing rather than collaborating. Ajayi has worked quietly but effectively to change this dynamic. His leadership has fostered smoother cooperation between the DSS, the police, the military, and other national security institutions.

By prioritizing information-sharing, joint operations, and coordinated strategy development, Ajayi has positioned the DSS as a core driver of national security synergy. This shift may not be flashy, but its impact on operational success is already becoming evident.

Humanizing the Service and Rebuilding Public Trust

For many years, perceptions of the DSS fluctuated between respect and apprehension, largely due to concerns over transparency and human-rights practices. Ajayi has taken deliberate steps to address this by promoting a more professional, rights-conscious operational culture. Officers now undergo enhanced training on ethical conduct, community engagement, and communication.

While the DSS is not—and cannot be—a public-relations-driven institution, Ajayi understands that a modern security service must maintain a level of trust with the citizens it protects. His reforms are gradually helping to redefine the agency’s public interface, balancing its mandate for secrecy with an improved commitment to professionalism and accountability.

Internal Welfare and Institutional Stability

Security agencies perform best when their personnel feel valued, motivated, and well-equipped. Ajayi has strengthened internal welfare systems, ensuring officers receive improved support, clearer career growth opportunities, and the tools they need to perform effectively. This has boosted morale and reduced internal friction—two factors crucial for operational efficiency.

His quiet stabilizing influence has also brought a sense of predictability to DSS operations. Under his leadership, the agency appears more insulated from political turbulence, allowing it to focus squarely on its mandate.

A Leadership Style Rooted in Strategy, Not Spectacle

In a time when some leaders rely on bravado or theatrics to appear effective, Ajayi stands out for his disciplined restraint. His philosophy seems guided by a fundamental principle: a security agency’s success is measured in outcomes, not headlines. The calmness of his leadership style has enabled him to pursue reforms without unnecessary noise, distractions, or politicization.

And this may be the true hallmark of his impact—delivering change through consistency rather than controversy.

Looking Ahead: A Long-Term Blueprint for the DSS

If the momentum of Ajayi’s reforms is sustained, the DSS could emerge as a more modern, reliable, and globally respected intelligence service. His agenda sets a foundation for:

A culture of professionalism over patronage

A stronger intelligence-driven approach to national security

A more integrated and collaborative security environment

A service that balances secrecy with lawful, ethical conduct

A stable institution that prioritizes national interest above all else

His leadership demonstrates that meaningful reform does not always come with fanfare. Sometimes, it comes quietly—through silent changes that produce big, enduring impact.

In transforming the DSS with such strategic subtlety, Adeola Ajayi is not only redefining the institution but also showing that a new era of thoughtful, modern security leadership is both possible and already taking shape.
Sunday Oladapo is a public analysts from Abuja

Silent Changes, Big Impact: Adeola Ajayi’s Transformation of the DSS

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